W.W. Grainger Q4 Earnings Forecast Boosted by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised W.W. Grainger’s earnings estimates, including Q4 2026 EPS to $10.77 from $10.74, with full-year 2027 and 2028 estimates set at $50.53 and $54.59, respectively.
• Grainger recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $12.01 EPS versus the $11.30 consensus and $5.02 billion in revenue, up 10.3% year over year. Management’s FY2026 EPS guidance remains $45.50–$47.25.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious stance, with a consensus “Hold” rating and $1,253.85 average price target, while institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.7% of the stock.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, October 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $10.77 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $10.74. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger's current full-year earnings is $46.27 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger's Q3 2027 earnings at $12.85 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $12.51 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $50.53 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $12.86 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $13.91 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $14.22 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $54.59 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. The company's revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.97 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Stephens downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,253.85.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,329.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.89, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.01. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,419.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The business's fifty day moving average price is $1,291.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,275.26.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GWW. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $6,303,024,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 527,969 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $575,914,000 after buying an additional 22,731 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 409,142 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $446,210,000 after buying an additional 9,743 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 363,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $494,244,000 after buying an additional 70,451 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $407,051,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 25.40%.

Trending Headlines about W.W. Grainger

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings forecasts across multiple periods. Estimates increased for Q4 2026 to $10.77 from $10.74, FY2027 to $50.53 from $50.46, and FY2028 to $54.59 from $54.48. Quarterly estimates were also lifted for Q3 2027, Q1-Q3 2028. The revisions signal slightly improved expectations for Grainger’s future profitability. Zacks DuPont analysis article
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted GWW as a potential industrial-services investment. A comparison with Global Industrial does not represent a formal rating change, but it keeps Grainger on investors’ screens as a quality or value candidate within the sector. GIC versus GWW article
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada trimmed its price target. RBC lowered the target to $1,427 from $1,428 and maintained a “sector perform” rating. Although the revised target still implied roughly 7.4% upside based on the referenced $1,329.24 price, the minimal reduction indicates limited near-term conviction rather than a strong bullish catalyst. Benzinga report

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and related services. The company serves businesses, government organizations and other institutions that need supplies to maintain facilities, equipment and operations.

Its product offerings include tools, safety equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, material-handling products, electrical and plumbing components, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, and other industrial and facility-management products.

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